design dump

web 69.0

prototypicality

Prototypicality is the basic mental image your brain creates to categorize everything you interact with. From furniture to websites, your brain has created a template for how things should look and feel.

misc

verdana 4 fun, courier for speed

There is a rapid shifting of media: from printed paper to
computer screens. This transition is modifying the process of
how we read and understand text. The efficiency of reading is
dependent on how ergonomically the visual information is
presented. Font types and size characteristics have been
shown to affect reading. A detailed investigation of the
effect of the font type and size on reading on computer
screens has been carried out by using subjective, objective
and physiological evaluation methods on young adults. A group
of young participants volunteered for this study. Two types
of fonts were used: Serif fonts (Times New Roman, Georgia,
Courier New) and Sans serif fonts (Verdana, Arial, Tahoma).
All fonts were presented in 10, 12 and 14 point sizes. This
study used a 6 X 3 (font type X size) design matrix.
Participants read 18 passages of approximately the same
length and reading level on a computer monitor. Reading time,
ranking and overall mental workload were measured. Eye
movements were recorded by a binocular eye movement recorder.
Reading time was minimum for Courier New l4 point. The
participants' ranking was highest and mental workload was
least for Verdana 14 point. The pupil diameter, fixation
duration and gaze duration were least for Courier New 14
point. The present study recommends using 14 point sized
fonts for reading on computer screen. Courier New is
recommended for fast reading while for on screen presentation
Verdana is recommended. The outcome of this study will help
as a guideline to all the PC users, software developers, web
page designers and computer industry as a whole.